


Lethe

by CorellianSea



Series: Prompts | Challenges [6]
Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: 1000 word challenge, Amnesia, M/M, Memory Loss, i went over lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-06
Updated: 2016-04-06
Packaged: 2018-05-31 14:40:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6474400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CorellianSea/pseuds/CorellianSea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <span class="small">"Do you recall what a Jedi is, Anakin?"</span>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lethe

 

**Day 0**  
**6 hours | isolation therapy**   
**Subject continues to show no sign of improvement**

 

Obi-Wan pursed his lips when the cue was given to him by the medical droid standing in the corner of the room. Patiently, he waited for Anakin to stop touching his face. When several moments passed, Obi-Wan's patience tapered. Like a child, Anakin was like a child now. How could this have happened under his own watch? Failed him, that's what he had done. Anakin's current state was simply a direct consequence of his inadvertent negligence.

The master could hardly keep his tongue between his front teeth, biting back a flurry of questions that would do nothing except confuse his padawan ever more. Whenever the medical droid prompted him the second time to speak, Obi-Wan held his self-convictions at bay for the sake of Anakin and proceeded with protocol, "Do you recall what a Jedi is, Anakin?"

The young man tore himself away from his scrutiny of how fluffy Obi-wan’s beard was. Earlier, he had found himself marveling at the amount of facial hair stemming from the warm skin as soon as his blue eyes landed on the overgrown scruff, Long fingers carded through the hairs at once, and without permission; however, Obi-wan had allowed it, reasoning that the situation at hand called for an extensive patience and as long as Anakin was responsive— then he could bear with whatever that could be tossed his way.

Obi-wan watched as the smile began to fade, in probable consequence to hearing the word 'Jedi'. Anakin felt arousing vexation begin to swirl and bombard him head on with scalding licks of fury, forthwith in reaching a near maddening level. Preceding thoughts and questions he wanted to bring up were now tossed to the wind. Much like how he himself was tossed into the medical bay hours earlier. He’d been co-operative. He was obedient, patient, and docile. But this ... This was something even the droids had yet to ask. Anakin furrowed his eyebrows at the man who he so far only knew to be his ‘Master’ and stepped ever closer to standing a mere few centimeters short of touching noses with Obi wan. Control slipped from him much faster than he preferred.

"Jedi...” The hand he had cupping Obi wan's face had curled in a ball of what appeared to be impressively well-sustained anger. Jedi. “I don't— I don't know what that is." Suddenly afraid he may lash out, he rested it warily on Obi Wan’s shoulder and a mild sense of defeat hovered in the air afterward. "I don't recognize it, but I hate the name for some reason. I hate it. It... _Sickens_ me. It enrages me. I don’t know If it’s a place or the name of a person. I don't even know if it's the name of something, "

Anakin disregarded the expression on Obi wan's face. He could hardly decipher it anyway. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop the budding horror within the older man as Anakin recommenced his brutal description, somewhat regretting the fact he told Anakin to be detailed as possible with his thoughts when asked a question.

"And you... You’re stained with it. It's like you've been smeared and sullied with the word. With it . It's contaminated you in a way, I- I can see it. It’s like a blemish. It’s disgusting. But you've been kind to me, you always have been." The brunet appeared very sure of his choice of words. It was as if this all was something that had been rehearsed within him before being buried deep inside. Soon enough it began to feel more like the start of a never-ending babble of something he'd longed to tell. “Even though I feel like that... I _know_. I know you're not like — you're not like that word. That word is _wrong_."

“ _Wrong_ —! ” Obi-Wan abruptly snapped, powerless to maintain his balance any longer. “Do you have any idea what you’re saying, padawan? What has gotten into you? Tell me, I will listen to anything but this,” He pleaded as his hands came to rest on the young Jedi’s shoulders. Guilt contorted his expression when he realized Anakin’s eyes held flecks of alarm. Still, he pushed the matter frantically, “How can you remember nothing? You were fine last night!”

The initial flinch was something to be expected when Obi wan had raised his voice. So far he had never heard it before until now. Hurt, his hand began to retract entirely when his shoulders were gripped, uncertain of how easily he would be able to control himself if this rage continued to slow boil within him.

“Why have you had so much hatred in you, boy?” Exasperation was evident in Obi Wan's voice. He settled a hand on Anakin’s chest, “It’s been showing, the anger inside you. The council worries. _I_ worry. You are changing, Anakin, and right before my very eyes!”

His gaze lowered before Anakin glared at him, starting an ignition of venomous malice clear to see through his troubled blue eyes. Now, he was quick to run his mouth.

"You're foolish! It's like you don't listen to what I say at all! How can you ask me what the ways of the Jedi are when I hardly know who I am myself? That's just absurd! I've told you, again and again; I don't know what the kriffing hell is happening around me right now. But the single most, if not _absolute_ thing I've come across at all since I woke up is that I _don't like Jedi._ " The younger man spat back at Obi wan, uncaring of how the man would counter further about the issue. Anakin had pushed him lightly, but Obi-Wan stumbled back, wide eyed.

"Ask yourself logically, Obi-Wan Kenobi. When— no, _if_ — if you're ever lost like this, and as lost as I am right now, and the one thing you're damn sure about keeps ringing in your head, it would make sense to keep someone you care about away from the dangers of it. The _only_ damn person you can even remember!"

There was a sway in Anakin's voice, faltering only for a second as he came to address where the pain stemmed from the most. "And I am not!" His cries broke his master’s heart, "I am not... I am not just a man of a hate... It's not what makes me who I am. It's not the only thing I can feel. You know — I can feel... happiness."

Recollections of him as a child flitted behind his eyes that were clenched shut. There was a woman too... His mother. Shmi. A great sense of longing swelled him to the brim when he saw the smile of an angel right after his mother. A beautiful young woman. Yes... both of them were angels. Though he couldn't exactly recollect everything about them at the moment; Anakin knew there was more to him than Obi wan made him out to be.

"I can feel happiness. I can feel pain, confusion, anger. This is what makes me... human. But you don't want me to feel something like that because it’s not the Jedi… — way..." Anakin's expression broke, taking a complete turn for the worse as his misunderstanding spiked his emotion. Slapping his hand over Obi Wan’s, Anakin sounded nothing short of hysterical and bewildered, " _Wait_ , why would you deny me of that? _Why_ would you put me through something as dehumanizing as this? I thought you cared for me!"

There had to be something more to it, Anakin was confident in that matter. Obi-Wan was clearly not the villain here. If anything, he was a victim just like himself. Everything in his being screamed to protect him. It didn't matter if Anakin remembered next to nothing in the end.

 

Obi wan was everything to him, this, he knew.

 

 


End file.
